Postal History.
An introduction to the
Postal History of the Channel Islands
Postal History of the Channel Islands
Letters have long provided a means of communication and the study of the contents, the outer cover, the markings, the route taken and cost of sending has provided a considerable interest to historians and collectors worldwide.
By their very position off the coast of France and being a part of Great Britain the Islands have a fascinating history and have long had an important role in shipping and the mercantile trade. The earliest letters known date back to medieval times and
By their very position off the coast of France and being a part of Great Britain the Islands have a fascinating history and have long had an important role in shipping and the mercantile trade. The earliest letters known date back to medieval times and
letters into and out of the Islands were carried by trading ships as the Islands had long enjoyed a commercial trade in particular with Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal and further afield with North America and the West Indies.
Thus a wide field of study is presented to the social and postal historian with letters handled by Letter Forwarding Agents/Merchants, Ships’ Captains and the Armed Forces during time of conflict such as the Napoleonic Wars in which the Islands played a significant role. Following the establishment of proper postal services in 1794 a variety of postal markings are found on the letters to denote the origin and the service by which they travelled ie Ship Letters, Penny Posts, various postal charges and also manuscript endorsements for re-direction and postage to be recovered on receipt.
1840 saw the major reform with the introduction of pre-paid postage by means of postage stamps purchased at Post Offices and this required a variety of handstamps both to cancel the stamps and later to denote date, time and origin of posting. The use of the posts through the 19th century saw a rapid growth particularly as levels of literacy improved and this required a need for smaller Letter Receiving Houses/Sub-Post Offices in the town and country districts. Post Offices were also opened in Alderney and Sark in 1848 and 1857 respectively, but not in Herm until 1925.
Throughout the 19th century new developments occurred with services for telegraphs, Postal Orders, Money Orders, parcels, registration and insurance of letters, all requiring different types of datestamps and forms. The 20th century saw the First World War and its impact on postal services with the need to handle letters to the armed forces, prisoners of war and the restrictions of censorship. The growth in aviation saw the eventual introduction of airmail services with the Islands from the 1930s.
Probably the greatest impact ever on the Islands was the German military Occupation from 1940 till 1945 during World War II. Of tremendous interest to philatelists are the postage stamps of local design, the internal posts and the military affairs surrounding these. In addition there are other very collectable fields such as the German Feldpost service, the Red Cross postal message scheme, Internee posts, prisoner of war posts and the Liberation with the immediate facility to re-communicate with Great Britain.
In 1969 the GPO granted postal independence to Guernsey and Jersey. New local Postal Administrations were set up and since then the Islands have managed their own postal businesses.
Thus a wide field of study is presented to the social and postal historian with letters handled by Letter Forwarding Agents/Merchants, Ships’ Captains and the Armed Forces during time of conflict such as the Napoleonic Wars in which the Islands played a significant role. Following the establishment of proper postal services in 1794 a variety of postal markings are found on the letters to denote the origin and the service by which they travelled ie Ship Letters, Penny Posts, various postal charges and also manuscript endorsements for re-direction and postage to be recovered on receipt.
1840 saw the major reform with the introduction of pre-paid postage by means of postage stamps purchased at Post Offices and this required a variety of handstamps both to cancel the stamps and later to denote date, time and origin of posting. The use of the posts through the 19th century saw a rapid growth particularly as levels of literacy improved and this required a need for smaller Letter Receiving Houses/Sub-Post Offices in the town and country districts. Post Offices were also opened in Alderney and Sark in 1848 and 1857 respectively, but not in Herm until 1925.
Throughout the 19th century new developments occurred with services for telegraphs, Postal Orders, Money Orders, parcels, registration and insurance of letters, all requiring different types of datestamps and forms. The 20th century saw the First World War and its impact on postal services with the need to handle letters to the armed forces, prisoners of war and the restrictions of censorship. The growth in aviation saw the eventual introduction of airmail services with the Islands from the 1930s.
Probably the greatest impact ever on the Islands was the German military Occupation from 1940 till 1945 during World War II. Of tremendous interest to philatelists are the postage stamps of local design, the internal posts and the military affairs surrounding these. In addition there are other very collectable fields such as the German Feldpost service, the Red Cross postal message scheme, Internee posts, prisoner of war posts and the Liberation with the immediate facility to re-communicate with Great Britain.
In 1969 the GPO granted postal independence to Guernsey and Jersey. New local Postal Administrations were set up and since then the Islands have managed their own postal businesses.
correspondence for centuries was mainly confined to Royalty, Government, Church, the Armed Services and Merchants. It is really not until the 17th century that private letters can be found in any number and these are mostly related to family and legal matters and commerce. Until the formal establishment by the GPO of a postal service in Guernsey and Jersey in 1794,